Another letter for my file

[BenThom-Wood]

I had another (yearly) follow up echocardiogram back on the 11th of February. This was after my phone call with the other cardiologist, who’s letter to me hasn’t arrived yet.

The letter from the cardiologist I met after the echocardiogram (told him highlights of my conversation with the other cardiologist) has arrived today.

Anyway, my left ventricle is slightly dilated (still) but the ejection fraction has now dropped to around 50% from 55% last year. I initially thought this was an improvement, I now realise it’s a deterioration of my heart’s performance. Last year just over half of the blood in my heart was sent around my body. Now it’s half.

Not a large drop and my original cardiologist suspects this’ll be just monitored by another echocardiogram in roughly 12 months time.

Good old Dr. Google suggests my EF is at the bottom of the range for a 70 year old!

I suppose the only benefit (stress on the heart notwithstanding) is that if I exercise then my muscles will need to work harder as they’re getting (slightly) less blood than 12 months ago?

[Hidden]

Dear BenThom-wood

Hello you sorry that you have had a bad result with your EF reading, but maybe this chart will help you understand that it is not measured from 100%

LVEF range Men Women

Normal range 52–72% 54–74%

Mildly abnormal range 41–51% 41–53%

Moderately abnormal range 30–40% 30–40%

Severely abnormal range less than 30% less than 30%

So mine is at the moment is 41% so that places me in the mildly abnormal range.

Hope it helps, the information is from Healthline.com and just put in EF readings

[BenThom-Wood in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Blue1958, I’ve sent my cardiologist an email re the EF letter he’s sent me. If the EF has dropped then it follows that more blood is retained within my heart, which then means to me that my heart will expand slightly faster now. This could put pressure on the ramipril I take which might put pressure on my kidneys to process any increase in dose of the ramipril I need as it could stop my heart expanding.

Thinking on it now, I can see the Torsades de point being a method of clearing the blood from my heart as it knows about the EF?